Free SYTYCD Newsletter Want to receive the latest news on So You Think You Can Dance sent straight to your email? Join hundreds of other SYTYCD fans who subscribe to Pure SYTYCD for FREE!

Podcast: SYTYCD Season 8 – Top 4 Performance and Finale

Summary
For the finale of So You Think You Can Dance season 8 we give you a super-sized podcast with 15 more minutes of content. We were happy with Melanie’s win and were pleasantly surprised that the top two dancers this season were both women, which has not happened before on this program. The performance episode was not up to the high standards of past seasons which was disappointing for us, but there were some highlights such as Marko and Lauren F.’s wonderful contemporary piece by Tessandra Chavez and the captivating performance by Melanie and Sasha in the second Stacey Tookey routine of the night.

The results show reminded us of many of the great routines from the season, although we were surprised by how the judges picks seemed to place less emphasis on everyone except for Melanie, Marko and Sasha (even Tadd only had one non-group routine repeated). This portion of the show has historically served as a warm-up for the forthcoming tour and features many of the routines that are expected to show up. But here we had many routines that involved all-stars, none of which will likely be on the tour. It was unexpected for the judges picks to lack variety.

We conclude the podcast with a discussion of the show’s production and the effect it’s having on the pacing and the way we get to know the dancers. We pinpoint that the approach towards the show changed in season 6, when they moved to the live show format. At this point the packages became shorter and contained more schtick and the judges comments started having less substance due to the time constraints of a live program. We also discuss the choreographers and that some of them tailor their work to their selected dancers and that others do not and whether this is a fair way of doing things. Finally, we discuss the variety of dancers in the top 20 in later seasons versus the early seasons and the effect this seems to have on the type of choreography we see each week.

Please let us know your thoughts by dropping us a comment here after listening! We love to hear feedback and what you thought of the show. We also encourage you to check out our twitter feed!

We want to thank everyone that has tuned into our podcasts during the course of the season! We’ve enjoyed doing this and its been a learning experience for us! We’re planning to do podcasts for season 9 of So You Think You Can Dance, so check back with us in May 2012. We’re going to continue doing our Big Brother podcasts and will be adding The X-Factor to our weekly discussions when it premieres on September 21st. We are also adding a Week in Review podcast in the fall for all the other shows we watch during that time. So if any of that sounds interesting to you, then follow our blog Reflections on Pop Entertainment and watch for our updates. If you’re only interested in our So You Think You Can Dance material, we’ll see you again next summer!

Episode Length: 44:53

Time Stamps
0:00 – Introduction: Congrats to Melanie! Guest judges: Katie Holmes and Kenny Ortega and the choice to have celebrity judges
2:37 – Melanie and Marko’s disco
4:15 – Sasha and Mark’s jazz
5:44 – Tadd and Joshua’s hip-hop
7:10 – Melanie and Robert’s contemporary
8:29 – Sasha and Marko’s broadway
10:46 – Sasha and Tadd’s chacha
12:57 – Marko and Lauren F.’s contemporary
14:36 – Tadd and Melanie’s jazz
16:01 – Melanie and Sasha’s contemporary
18:27 – Marko and Tadd’s gumboot stepping
20:28 – The order of the placing: 2 girls in the top
22:22 – Results show: The new top 20 routine and tap routine
24:28 –  Results show: The judges picks were stacked towards Melanie, Sasha and Marko and didn’t seem to be a retrospective of the season
28:58 – Post-season discussion: The direction of production and how it affects the show – pacing in live shows vs recorded shows, an increasing focus on the judging panel, choreographers tailoring their work to the dancers, variety in the dancers in the Top 20 (stacked towards contemporary/jazz now), variety in routine genres (less ballroom now, more contemporary/jazz)
42:34 – Wrap-up: What are your thoughts on our post-season discussion? What we’re going to be doing in future podcasts (Big Brother, The X-Factor, Week in Review)


Listen to the podcast

Episode 15 direct download

Subscribe to podcast on iTunes

 

August 15, 2011 I Written By

Over the past few years my fiancée Meghan slowly brought me into the world of television, turning me into a full-fledged fan of both scripted and reality shows. So You Think You Can Dance turned into one of my favorite reality shows as it is a competition that takes itself seriously, providing the audience with artistic choreography and talented dancers. It's certainly not something I ever expected to get emotionally invested in, but here I am! Meghan and I are very analytic when it comes to the things we enjoy. We constantly discussed and analyzed shows with each other and after doing this for a couple years, we decided that we should turn these discussions into a podcast. We created Reflections on Pop Entertainment, a podcast that provides commentary and analysis of popular entertainment as found in visual mediums, particularly television and film. So You Think You Can Dance Season 8 is the first television series we're covering with weekly podcasts and has allowed us to find our voice as well as actively contribute to the fan community. We hope that you'll enjoy our installments as they are posted to Pure So You Think You Can Dance!

Season 8 Finale Part 1 Thoughts and Discussion

Tonight’s Part 1 of the Season 8 finale. I’m going to post my thoughts live and I hope you’ll join in the discussion. Let us know what you think?

Spoiler space, just in case…

Read more..

August 10, 2011 I Written By

Odd and Random SYTYCD 5/7/10

Remember that Katie Holmes post I did a little while back? Well, recently she danced and sang “Whatever Lola Wants” at the A Fine Romance benefit gala – using her husband Tom Cruise as a partner/prop. Most of the videos have been pulled, but check out this partial in a BBC news report: Read more..

May 7, 2010 I Written By

Katie Holmes Back on SYTYCD?

I found some articles (here and here and here) this morning that showed pictures of Katie Holmes and Tyce Diorio leaving a dance studio together yesterday. All three mention SYTYCD and two actively speculate whether Katie will be back on the show. Check them out!

April 24, 2010 I Written By

Dizzy Feet Event in LA 11/29

Rickey.org just posted some great pictures from the Dizzy Feet event in LA that happened Nov. 29th. It included the 5Alive kids as well as stars from DWTS (including S3’s Lacey) and ABDC (with S1’s Ryan and S3’s Hok and Dominic). Thanks Rickey for posting this, man I wish I could have been there!

DIZZY FEET CELEBRATION OF DANCE

here’s an interview with Qwest, with most of the questions aimed at D-Trix (Dominic) he’s awesome!

dances done included “No Air”, “If It Kills Me”, and “Addiction” as well as Ade and Melissa’s Breast Cancer routine, as well as performances from Cheryl and Derek from DWTS and Lacey’s samba with Lance Bass from S7 of DWTS. Qwest rocked it out, as did the three leading ladies from the Step Up films, as introduced by their male counterparts.

November 30, 2009 I Written By

My So You Think You Can Dance 100 Episode Thoughts

I must admit that I’ve been reminiscing about the 100th episode and enjoying the whole experience thoroughly. My list of past So You Think You Can Dance routines (only the amazing ones) was my favorite part so go check it out.

Now on to thoughts about tonight’s show. Plus, tonight I’m including some videos. It seemed the right thing to do in honor of the 100th episode.

I must admit that I wasn’t surprised at all when I heard that Jason and Janette were going home. Don’t ask me why, but I just had a feeling that Kayla and Brandon were going to make it through. That said, figuring out who’s going to be in the bottom 2 is so hard. Week to week it changes depending on their partners and the routines they get.

Now about Jason and Brandon…
With that said, I’ve kind of not liked Jason this whole time. He just never really clicked for me. As I watched the recap of his best moments I decided that I think it was the producers fault that we didn’t really get to know Jason. Everyone’s loved how he was the first one to hug whoever was safe. I also noticed when I think it was Kayla was safe, she went over and Brandon didn’t even acknowledge her, but Jason reached out to greet her. I think we missed this side of Jason and I think I would have liked him better had they shown more of that side of Jason on the show.

At the end of the day, I would have been very happy if Brandon had been sent home and Jason stayed. However, when I was watching it, I was surprised that I had kind of turned around to almost liking Jason. Plus, Brandon just has never been right for me. Tonight Brandon proved in his solo that he’s an amazing dancer. I’m just afraid he’s an amazing solo dancer and not very good in partnering.

Think back on Brandon’s dances. I can’t think of one moment where I can say that Brandon totally connected with his partner. The only one that comes to mind is in the Vegas auditions when Brandon and Natalie did that Sonya routine before Natalie was sent home. For me, Brandon just fails to connect with his partner. Yesterday hit that home when I saw no chemistry between Brandon and Jeanine. Add in something about his head (some people say it’s his big neck) and let’s just say I’m not a huge fan. Although, I will be excited to see Brandon’s solo next week.

While we’re on the boys….
Evan is unique. He has a Benji like following. However, it doesn’t feel quite as strong and it does seem to be waning. Plus, Benji had very few people that wanted him gone. Evan isn’t so lucky. I’ll be a bit surprised if Evan makes the top 4. I think the tide is turning for those not called Kasprzaktivists.

What can I say about Ade? It’s the pick. It’s the pick. Definitely a possible dark horse. He surprised me out of the chute with a few good routines with Melissa and some great choreography. I don’t see him winning it all, but won’t be surprised if he wins the top boy prize (assuming they do that again this year).

Now my dear Janette…
I must admit that I like Miami. However, I’m going to stick with the tweet I sent as they announced the girls “I’ll be very sad if Kayla or Jeanine goes home.” Janette will be missed. Some people suggested to me that it might be an Allison-ed. I don’t think it’s quite the same. In fact, it’s probably closer to a Kherington-ed. Allison was a GREAT (and probably still is) technical dancer who was sent home too early because she probably lacked in the personality department a little (or at least it wasn’t shown). Kherington was kind of the opposite. Solid technically, but oozed personality. Janette is definitely more like Kherington. Do I dare admit that Brandon’s popularity was keeping Janette on the show? Hmm…Miami will certainly be missed.

Seems like a lot of people are unhappy that Melissa is still there. As I watched her during the announcements I couldn’t help but think that if Melissa was a 21 year old girl, she’d have never made it to the top 20. I can’t think of really any dancer before Melissa that has embodied the more mature dancer this way. It’s been a nice storyline that I’ve enjoyed this season. It’s crazy to think that the “naughty ballerina” is now the “mature dancer.” I will admit that Melissa was a bit lucky to have gotten a couple Impressive routines at the start of the show and then of course yesterday’s Tyce piece. I’ve liked Melissa a lot, but it will be a sad finale if it doesn’t include both Kayla and Jeanine for me.

Speaking of Kayla and Jeanine…
Kayla has become my favorite dancer. Yesterday I couldn’t take my eyes off her as she danced. Plus, little pieces of her personality have really started to show through for me as the season progresses. Maybe it’s just her smile. Kayla does seem to be enjoying herself more as the season progresses. Yes I’ve become a real fan.

Jeanine has been the surprise of the show for me. She was hidden in the shadow of Phillip to start, but ever since that broadway routine she’s stood out to me. Even her less than stellar Waltz her face still had that star quality for me.

Of course, just don’t make me choose between Kayla and Jeanine.

Now I promised you videos. Read more..

July 23, 2009 I Written By

Just call me Charlie...but where are my angels?

SYTYCD 2009 Top 8 Power Rankings

While it’s never been easy (in my experience), this week’s Power Rankings are TOUGH! I kinda know what Nigel meant when he said the show felt pretty flat for a bit, though I didn’t completely agree with him. There were some great performances last night, but it kinda feels like maybe everybody (including the judges and Cat) felt their attentions flagging before the big 100th episode blowout (see John’s SYTYCD reminiscing post too). I’m kinda surprised they’re going to pack everything into an hour (if anyone knows differently, let me know) cause it seems like with Katie Holmes and the favorite routines and an extra judge making jokes AND regular elimnations, they’re going to need more time.

Loved Ellen on the show, especially when she said, “I just wanted seats and these were pretty good, so I said yes” and Travis Wall’s group routine. I’m kinda horrified to see if Mia and Ellen will actually wear costumes from the routine, though. Though I really adore a calm Mary Murphy. She really is well-spoken and intelligent, which just annoys me all the more when she begins the hysterics.

Alright, let me get down to it.

Solos: Jeanine, Brandon, Janette and Ade all had really strong solos, for me (in that order). However, I feel like Evan, Jason and Kayla were all giving us more of the same old same old and I was rather bored (as cute as I always find Evan, sigh). Melissa tried to give us something different, but it didn’t work for me, so I’d put her between Jason and Kayla there.

SYTYCD Top 8 Girl Power Rankings:

1. Janette had a great night. She had a strong solo and two solid routines. I feel like she did bring out the inner Latino stallion in Evan, as she promised. And they were strong together in that Sonya jazz routine. She shone, no matter what you think of Evan.

2. Jeanine had the best solo, in my opinion, and the second routine, the hip hop, was really good. I enjoyed it. The first though, that waltz, was so incredibly boring. I don’t feel like that was really the dancers’ fault and there were definitely some lovely moments. I loved the twirl into a lift they did, where Jeanine’s yellow dress proved itself a gorgeous wardrobe choice. But overall, because the “weak” routine was the first one, I think she’ll be fine. She’s my favorite dancer at the moment, hands down. She’s even beaten Evan for me.

3. Melissa really tried to stretch and do something different in her solo. I gotta give her props for that. I don’t dislike her as a dancer, by any means, but I tend to like the way she moves the least. I was bored again during her cha cha with Ade. I really wished they’d each gotten new partners, especially during that cha cha (hated the music, hated it). I wanted to see them with new people. However, they were gorgeous in Tyce’s contemporary. Simply gorgeous. It was the perfect song choice, the second I heard the opening notes to Maxwell’s “This Woman’s Work,” I was there. It was the first time I saw Melissa dancing outside her usual movements and it felt more true than anything else I’ve seen her do. And I don’t suppose they could’ve done what they did if they’d had new partners – I didn’t realize just what a leap Melissa made into Ade’s arms till the playback, but imagine the courage that has to take when her body is her entire career. If he’d slipped just a little, she would nose-dived into the audience. I actually felt twice as affected when I re-watched the routine, if that’s possible.

4. Kayla’s routine was more of the usual from her. I really like her and I think she’s starting to show a lot of personality. But she’s been so cold and buttoned-up so much of the season, and so on-the-ball, that I worry people connect to her the least and haven’t seen her “grow” (because she’s already been there, at least technically), so they won’t vote. I really liked her in Broadway, as the judges did. She was lustrous. And I really liked her in the hip hop with Jason, though a friend who was visiting my house during the show (and dances) did remark that she wasn’t hitting the movements as cleanly or with as much punch as Jason.  It was a cute piece. I would’ve said Melissa after the cha cha, but after the contemporary, I suspect Kayla’s the most in danger.

SYTYCD Top 8 Boy Power Rankings:

1. Ade had a strong solo (as always), a kinda awful cha cha and then that AMAZING contemporary I’ve already talked about at length. It’s the most memorable routine of the night in many ways (even if you hated it, you have to admit that having an entire studio audience and the judges sobbing is memorable). He is such a quiet, solid dancer, Ade. Hope everybody voted for him, because him being in the bottom last week was unforgivable. 🙂

2. Brandon had the strongest male solo. I was pretty impressed with him. The waltz was boring, as I’ve said, but it was first and he really was strong and sexy on that hip hop. He had pretty good chemistry with Jeanine, so I’m thinking he generally had a good night.

3. Evan, oh my Evan (or Evando as Cat clearly enjoyed calling him last night), kinda disappointed me with his solo, as I’ve said. It was cute and good, but he’s not really  incorporating any of the other styles into his solos, as some of the others are doing. He’s learning *a lot* on this show, so I want to see him use it. I really liked both his routines with Janette. They had really good chemistry and as the judges said, he was there for his partner (as he always is). I felt like he came a long way on the spectrum of sexiness – he moved his hips!, did you see that? And Mia has a good point – he may not be the most diverse or technically the best of the dancers, but there is something about him and the way he moves and his personality that makes it wholly enjoyable to watch him. I almost think I’d rather watch him struggle with a dance than a technically perfect but boring routine. But I do recognize that he’s not growing as fast as some of the others, so despite my personal love for him and his ENORMOUS fan base, I’m putting him in the bottom two.

4. Jason disappointed me with his solo, too. There was nothing wrong with it, but it was just too much like most of his others. It was around his solo that Mom texted, “Is it me or do the solos seem the same mostly?” Right as I was texting her the same thing. I agree that he was very charming in the Broadway and pretty awesome as a hip hop zombie. So why’d I put him in the bottom 2, at the very bottom? I guess I just haven’t the heart to put Evan here and I suspect that perhaps Evan’s fanbase might give just a bit of an edge.

But darn, this is HARD! I like everybody at this point, so it’s hard to predict who’s gonna stick around, when I’d really just love to keep watching them in new configurations. Do you suppose SYTYCD may lay off eliminating people this week, in light of how much they’re doing on the 100th episode? But I guess 4 would be quite a lot to leave all in one go next week…

And I know eventually there can be only one. My top 4 at the moment? Jeanine, Ade, Janette and Evan. Can’t wait to see the 100th episode tonight.

I Written By

Dizzy Feet Foundation

Since we are approaching the 100th episode of SYTYCD, I felt like it would be a good time to blog about the Dizzy Feet Foundation. The idea that is the driving force behind this non-profit organization is providing opportunities in the dance world, to those who wouldn’t normally have that chance. The foundation is also hoping to elevate the standards of dance instruction.

Dizzy Feet Foundation (DFF) has four founding members. They include Nigel Lythgoe, director Adam Shankman, DWTS judge Carrie Ann Inaba, and actress Katie Holmes. All of them are very excited about the potential of DFF.

When Nigel made the announcement about the DFF, I have to be honest that I was a bit surprised to hear that Katie Holmes was a founding member. After all she is well known for her role in Dawson’s Creek, Batman Begins, and she made her Broadway debut in Author Miller’s All My Sons. “I think it’s important for children to experience music and dance,” said Holmes “Every child should have the opportunity to discover what it is they like and have access to the very best in that pursuit.” (Quote from the DFF website.) I am looking forward to seeing Katie Holmes perform this Thursday night. I saw her when she guest stared on ABC’s Eli Stone, I know she sang and dance some in that but I wasn’t really paying much attention to the show. Anyways I’m excited to see another side to Katie.

In addition to the founding members the foundation will have a Steering Committee/ Board Members. These members are chosen by the founding members. It will be their job to select the scholarship recipients and to follow their journey. Some big names in the entertainment world have signed up to be apart of the committee. They include CEO of 19 Entertainment Simon Fuller, Paula Abdul, Debbie Allen, Jennifer Lopez, and Miley Cyrus. Of course many of our favorite SYTYCD judges and choreographers are also a part of the committee.

The foundation is still in its beginning phases. So I’m sure it will be a while till we see exactly how it’s going to work. My reaction to the announcement was one of excitement. I love what the Dizzy Feet Foundation wants to do, allowing young dancers to follow their dreams. Also getting at risk youth off the streets and providing them with a positive atmosphere. In my opinion the overall message is to always follow your dreams and to let nothing stand in your way…and knowing that there are people out there who want to help make your dream a reality.

I got all my information from www.dizzyfeetfoundation.org. Please visit this site if you would like to learn more details about DFF. Also you can find there mission statement, and information about making a donation. I’m not sure if information about applying for scholarships or becoming a DFF accredited dance studio has been posted yet but keep checking the site for updates.

July 22, 2009 I Written By

Dance is one of my biggest passions. I grew up dancing at Augusta West Dance Studio (the same studio that Kathryn McCormick). I have a BFA in theatre/dance from Valdosta State University. Tap is my favorite style of dance.

So You Think You Can Dance 100th Episode

A lot has been made about the So You Think You Can Dance 100th episode. Considering I’ve been blogging about SYTYCD since June 30, 2006 (man I had a crush on Heidi Groskreutz…and still do) that will make this my 78th episode blogging about SYTYCD. 457 posts and somewhere around 1.5 million pageviews later and I still love writing about and watching SYTYCD. I love the prediction I made in my first post about SYTYCD linked above, “I don’t think it will be the blockbuster that American Idol(same producer) is, but it is well worth watching.” Well, it’s not as big as American Idol, but it’s gone on longer and gotten bigger than I thought it would be. What most of you don’t know is that if it weren’t for that first post about Heidi, I wouldn’t be 1/20th the blogger that I am today. I’ll save that story for another time. Ok, excuse that small walk down memory lane for me.

Back to the 100th episode. We’ve beat to death that Katie Holmes will be doing a Judy Garland tribute on SYTYCD. Cat also told us that the following 3 dances would be re-danced for the SYTYCD 100th episode. Of course, why wait for Thursday? Might as well enjoy them now and again on Thursday.

First up, the Travis and Heidi (Woot!!) bench routine by Mia Michaels to the song “Calling You“—Celine Dion. This is a fan favorite and is officially called “The Bench Routine”

Next up, Hummingbird and Flower by Hok and Jamie choreographed by Wade Robson to the song “The Chairman’s Waltz” John Williams - Memoirs of a Geisha - The Chairman's Waltz from Memoirs of a Geisha. What I think makes this dance so special is that only Hok could do this dance justice. I can’t see anyone else execute it the way he did.

Finally, a Wade Robson group routine called Ramalama Bang Bang to the song “Ramalama (Bang Bang)” Róisín Murphy - Ruby Blue - Ramalama (Bang Bang)—Róisín Murphy. This wasn’t my favorite routine, but it includes my favorite SYTYCD top 10 and so I’ll be very glad to see them again.

I’m sure we’ll have more discussion about this again on Thursday, but why wait until Thursday. These routines are really quite incredible.

July 21, 2009 I Written By

Just call me Charlie...but where are my angels?

Judy Garland Tribute By Katie Holmes on So You Think You Can Dance

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes at the White House Correspondents Dinner, Washington

More details are coming out about Katie Holmes possible appearance on So You Think You Can Dance. A local ABC station reports that Katie Holmes will be doing a tribute dance to Judy Garland. They also quote a witness who said the following:

For the routine, a witness tells Us that Holmes will don an all-black outfit, including a velvet fedora, patent-leather heels, and nylon stockings. Eight male dancers will kick up their heels alongside the actress in matching suits and ties. The number ends in a flourish with Holmes tossing her fedora in the air for one of the men to catch.

“[Holmes] is killing it,” a source tells Us.”She looks incredible. She is just doing an amazing job. Everyone is absolutely floored by how talented she is.”

A custom set was made for the production, which gives the illusion that Holmes is performing on a rooftop against a sky backdrop, acccording to the witness.

The article also says that it might happen on tonight’s performance instead of for the 100th SYTYCD episode on July 8th. I guess that’s what they do when the surprise performance gets leaked to the media.

June 18, 2009 I Written By

Just call me Charlie...but where are my angels?